Letting Go and Letting God, for UU’s?

I’ve been struggling recently to turn my problems over to God. This means acknowledging the things in life that I cannot (and should not) control, and seeking God’s help in dealing with situations that I cannot fix.

It means praying on problems (which I often forget to do until they become dire!) and saying to myself “enough, you can’t think your way through this problem, it’s time to turn it over.” Sometimes I even make a list before falling asleep — “Ok, God, here’s what I’m turning over…” This does give me a little more peace.

But it’s not a cure-all.

A few weeks ago, I was anxious about a situation and prayed strongly for God’s intervention. The situation exploded, going from worrisome to disastrous. I prayed again, and this time, I started with “What the h— was that?! How could you let that happen?!”

Being able to “let go and let God” may be one of the gifts of faith, but it is a theologically complex idea, and one that is hard to live out.

Two Unitarian Universalist bloggers have recently shared their insights about turning things over to God, and how that idea fits with Unitarian Universalism.

At UU Intersections, Terri Dennehy Pahucki writes in Skiing Lessons frames the problem as one of Grace vs. Will:

While many Christians might root for Grace to fully subdue the Will, us UU’s tend to stand more on the side of Will–sometimes to the bitter end. Subduing the will sounds a lot like some kind of blind submission and carries with it for many of us the baggage of bitter memories…

I think Terri hits the nail on the head as to why many people (UU’s and non-UU’s) struggle with the idea of turning problems over to God.

There’s a real need to differentiate between:

1. Actively seeking God’s help with problems that one cannot solve on one’s own

2. Passively disengaging from life and relinquishing responsibility for one’s choices.

#1 can bring a greater sense of peace and openness to life, while #2 can be dis-empowering and frustrating.

#1 is what I think Terri is describing.

She goes on to write about the joy of accepting Grace, of deciding to “Let go, open up to the wind, and enjoy the ride.” She describes the welcome surprise of going to a meeting of Unitarian Universalists, and delighting in letting others set the course for the meeting with their own insights:

I listened to a group of friends tell their truths, and saw things from another perspective. I put my agenda aside. For most at the meeting, it may not have been much of a change in plans, but for me it was like looking at a beloved painting upside down for the first time and seeing a whole new picture emerge. And falling absolutely in love with that new picture.

Another exploration of this topic from a Unitarian Universalist perspective is Real Anonymous’s “Theology of Abundance, or Fundraising-UU Style pt. 2″ on it’s 5 o’clock somewhere.

Real Anonymous raises the question of whether and how “a theology of abundance” that “requires that we humans let go and give things over AND believe that in giving things over, new avenues will appear” is applicable to Unitarian Universalists who don’t believe in God. It seems to me that it still can be, but I’m curious to hear how other UU’s, or other religious people who don’t believe in God, approach this question.